Jon O'Connor is 38, and lives on the Isle of Bute
"I’m a director of a company called West Coast Wildlife and Forestry Services. Throughout the year we do different things relating to forestry and deer contracts, but have just spent the last six weeks on Bute looking after tree plantations and managing the deer population.
As deer managers we work with key stakeholders, farmers and foresters to control deer numbers which helps biodiversity and the deer themselves.
I used to work in sales and marketing for luxury spirits across Europe, but when the pandemic began I got furloughed. This prompted me to look at what I was doing and so I decided to change career and make a complete U-turn.
Outdoors was always my passion, and I’d shot competitively and been an archer too. When I decided to quit my job I did a deerstalking qualification and loved it. Then I went to North Highland College to do an NC in gamekeeping and found my first deer stalking work near Inverary, which involved a daily commute of 100 miles.
After that I went on to do an HNC in gamekeeping and wildlife management, winning the prize for top student. The course covered things like game bird and deer management. Drawing up plans and understanding legislation was a big part of it, so it’s been great for helping me with pitches to potential clients.
I’m proud of what I’ve achieved over the last few years. Winning an award at Lantra Scotland’s ALBAS for being top student was incredible too.
Giving up a well-paid job was a challenge but it’s all been worth it. The biggest issue for me was going back into education as an adult.
There’s a real privilege involved in what I do now. When you’re outside so much, you have a decent chance of experiencing something extraordinary. I was once out in a pitch black night and saw a fireball, and have also been lucky enough to an Osprey landing for the first time on the island where I am now.
If you’re willing to learn and are prepared to roll your sleeves up and get dirty and tired, you’ll enjoy the reward of knowing that you’ve done a hard day’s work. It’s a great feeling, being connected to the land and that you’ve done something that makes a difference.
I’m a much happier and better person for making my career change."